Chapter 10: Compensation
I stared at Fletcher’s profile picture, lost in thought.
I originally intended to ignore the friend request. But, of course, Fletcher also had the role of a client, and not just any client–he was my big–ticket client. What if he simply wanted to discuss business? If I turned him down now, it would make me seem petty and narrow–minded.
After a moment of deliberation, I accepted the request.
Within seconds, a transfer notification popped up in the chat window. A full twenty thousand.
Wait, what? Why on earth was he sending
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money in the middle of the night? Was he out of his mind?
I didn’t say anything, just sent a question mark in
Aponse.
A voice message popped up.
“Compensation.”
Suddenly, my mind flashed back to the intense kiss from last night, and everything clicked. So, he was being generous as a form of compensation. A big shot from the investment banking world, no wonder he could afford to throw money around like this.
I didn’t hesitate. I tapped “Accept Payment.”
No one ever complains about getting too much money, right?
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If I didn’t accept it, Fletcher would probably
be uneasy.
After receiving the money, I briefly considered thanking him, but halfway through typing, I paused.
Considering where we were right now, it probably wasn’t the right time to say anything extra. In the end, I sent nothing.
The next morning, I went to the office as usual. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that someone in the tech department kept glancing at me, almost as if they were testing something.
I felt a bit uncomfortable, as if I was being scrutinized.
After lunch, Davina came up to me. “Charlene, can I take half a day off?”
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I sighed inwardly with relief. So, she just wanted to take some time off.
Before I could respond, Davina added, “Letch’s mom invited me for afternoon tea, and I really don’t know how to turn her down.”
She lowered her head as she spoke, looking somewhat helpless.
She didn’t really need to tell me all the details, but I quickly replied, “No problem, go ahead. If it runs late, you can just head home.”
Davina looked up at me, her long lashes fluttering. “Charlene, you’re so understanding.”
I didn’t want to tell Davina the real reason behind my response. It was, honestly, more
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about the money than her situation.
Besides, I’d already finished her tasks, so it wouldn’t delay the progress.
I prided myself on being thoughtful and organized. But not long after, Daphne’s call came through.
“Lena, you’ve really been hiding this from me, and I trusted you so much!”
The sharp tone, combined with Daphne’s loud voice, made her anger practically leap out of the phone.
I was confused and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Davina working at your studio–why didn’t you tell me?” Daphne snapped, sounding furious. “You and Letch are trying to fool me,
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aren’t you?”
Although I had anticipated this reaction, hearing Daphne’s questioning made me feel inexplicably wronged.
In a daze, I thought I could hear Davina’s timid apology in the background.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and said, “Daphne, hold on. I’ll be there in a minute!”
A conversation like this couldn’t be sorted out over the phone in just a few words.
Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the upscale café where Daphne and Davina were sitting.
From a distance, I saw Davina with her head lowered, sitting across from Daphne, her eyes red. Daphne, on the other hand, had a dark expression, her face radiating with
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anger.
The atmosphere wasn’t very pleasant.
“Daphne,” I sat down, pushing Daphne’s coffee aside, and told the waiter, “Please bring this lady a low–sugar fruit juice.”
Daphne had heart problems, and the doctor had advised her to limit her coffee intake.
Seeing my actions, Daphne didn’t continue to argue but snapped, “Letch is a fool, and you’re going along with his nonsense. How could you let someone like that be under your nose?”
She glanced at Davina again after speaking.
Hearing this, Davina’s face turned ashen, and she bit her lip tightly.
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I sighed and said, “Daphne, it was wrong of us to hide this from you, but Ms. Bates was following Mr. Lynton’s instructions. There’s no fault on her part.”
Daphne looked at me incredulously and asked, “Aren’t you disgusted by it?”
I forced a smile and said, “Mr. Lynton is generous. I’m actually grateful to him.”
Before I could finish, Davina suddenly stood up, staring at something behind me. She stammered, “Fletcher…”
Her eyes turned redder as she spoke.
Fletcher quickly moved to Davina’s side, shielding her behind him, and demanded, “What did you two say to her?”
He used “you two,” meaning me as well.
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As he spoke, the vein on his temple throbbed with anger.
Clearly, he was livid.
It
Whe
Was rare for him to lose control like this, especially considering his typically calm demeanor, and even more so with Daphne standing right in front of him.
In my memory, those two had never argued. But now, Fletcher was speaking to Daphne with a sharp tone, all because of Davina.
Daphne, apparently caught off guard by the situation, pointed at Fletcher and said, “I’m doing all this for you!”
She spoke these words with red eyes, then stormed out.
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I was about to follow her, but Fletcher’s voice. stopped me. “In a hurry to go butter her up?”
I froze, feeling both amused and helpless.
At that moment, Davina, standing off to the side, spoke up. “Fletcher, you’re misunderstanding. It’s not Charlene’s fault. I accidentally let it slip.”
Fletcher glanced at me, his gaze mixed with skepticism.
I should have known better than to get involved in this mess.
I stood still for a while, then heard myself say, “I’ll head back to the office now.”
“Charlene, let Fletcher give you a ride.”
I smiled and politely declined, “No need, it’s
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not on his way.”
After returning to the office, the more I thought about it, the worse I felt.
the scene in the afternoon, I figured my
I
fake ex status would be hard to keep under
wraps now.
With the way Fletcher doted on Davina, I couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling in my
gut.
I just hoped Kaitlyn hadn’t been right after all.
The WhatsApp notification broke my train of thought.
I opened it, and it was another transfer notification.
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Fletcher had sent me another ten thousand.
I stared at the tempting number, my lips twitching awkwardly.
Should I curse him for being crazy, or praise him for being so considerate?
Just as I hesitated, a message appeared on the screen: “You did a good job. Compensation.”
The dry, flat words showed no emotion.
I clenched my jaw, accepting the transfer without a second thought, but then started considering whether there was a way to turn this into a money–making opportunity. But I quickly dismissed the idea.
Fletcher, a finance genius, was born to handle money. There was no way he’d let me
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get away with taking advantage of him like this.
After a moment’s thought, I pulled up my friend list and hit delete.
Looking at my balance, I felt a bit of relief.
Before the workday ended, Sean came over and asked, “Charlene, what time are you leaving the day after tomorrow?”
I was confused. “Where to?”
“Winston’s birthday party, Sean said, then suddenly realized something. “He hasn’t told you yet?”
Winston hadn’t mentioned it to me.
But that was understandable; after all, we weren’t that close.
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However, Sean’s comment gave me an idea for a gift in return.
I quietly opened my shopping app and scrolled through, but nothing seemed quite right.
Then I remembered that Winston had been into photography back in college, so I decided to go to the mall during lunch break tomorrow.
The next day came quickly.
I followed my plan and went to the counter, inspecting the items over and over, unable to make up my mind.
“Miss, what style are you looking for?”
I answered seriously, “Something for a man,
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3
A
as a gift.”
The sales assistant gave me an understanding look and pointed to a retro–style camera. “This vintage brown model is great value. You might like it.”
I checked the price–twenty–eight thousand- and thought it was quite reasonable. “Wrap it up.”
“Your boyfriend is really lucky. He’ll be so happy when he sees this gift.”
I didn’t respond, silently thinking to myself: next time I’ll make sure to check the price tag before accepting a gift. If it weren’t for Fletcher’s transfer, I really wouldn’t be able to afford this.
As I was sighing, a familiar, sweet voice suddenly sounded next to me. “Charlene,
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what a coincidence.”
I turned toward the sound and couldn’t help but furrow my brows.
Fletcher and Davina were standing just two steps away.
It really was quite the coincidence.
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